


Getting Tied Up (I'm Losing)

by lemon413



Series: Angsty Avenger Fics [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Best Friends, Deal with a Devil, Disabled Character, Dummy is cute, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Sorry, Imprisonment, Minor Character Death, Non-Graphic Violence, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Tony Stark Does What Needs To Be Done, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, lots - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-03
Updated: 2016-11-08
Packaged: 2018-08-28 19:45:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8460643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lemon413/pseuds/lemon413
Summary: Tony has two days until he has to go away.





	1. Part One

It’s been six months since the ‘Civil War’ between the Avengers and Tony was sitting in his workshop, holding a packet. He read the papers and gave a content sigh. He was glad everything had worked and that the pardons had gone through without fail for his ex-teammates. He placed the papers in his desk and then answered a call from Ross with no visual feed, as Tony did not want to see the devil’s face. He did not say a greeting, that demon did not deserve anything else from him. It didn’t matter anyway.

“Stark.”

“Ross.”

“I did what you asked and it was no easy feat. Are you ready to return the favor?”

“Ross, don’t pretend like you’re doing this out of the goodness of your heart and that it’s a favor. It’s not. I’m doing what is necessary for the world. When are you going to collect? I need to get everything ready here.”

Tony can practically hear the smirk and feel the triumphant air that Ross would be letting out now.

“If I can’t have them, you’re the much better alternative Stark. As for when I collect, I was thinking I should surprise you.”

“Just. Fucking. Tell. Me.”

“Patience, patience. I want to hear you beg. I bet Tony Stark never begs anybody, does he?”

Tony thinks of the time when Pepper broke things off with him. Even though it disgusts him, he has to beg to Ross. He needed at least a day to get things ready.

“I do what needs to be done. Just tell me.” 

“I’m not hearing the magic words, Stark.”

A dam breaks inside of Tony.

“Please. Please tell me when you’re going to collect. Please. I have to know. Please.” He begged and Tony is sad to admit that he sounds like how he is feeling, desperate and panicked.

“Why has no one made you beg before? It sounds so pretty.”

“Ross.”

“Fine, fine. We’re coming to the tower in two days time and at 5 pm. One hour after you have your little reunion.”

“No. I’ll meet you wherever you want but you can’t be here when THEY arrive. I know they don’t care about me but I can’t have Rhodey seeing you and your people. Ross, I’ll go wherever you want and you know it. Please don’t make him see this. I’m begging you.”

“Wow, I got you to beg two times in one day. You don’t want them to know about what you did for them? All right, Stark. I’ll grant you this one last request and then that’s it. After this, I’m no longer Mr. Nice Guy. I don’t know why you care so much about them so much that you’re allowing yourself to go through with this.”

“Are you complaining?”

“Of course not. This deal works in my favor.”

After that remark, the two set a place that Tony is to arrive at then Tony hangs up without a goodbye. He sets his head in his hands and takes a deep breath. He hears rolling and a sad beep beside him. Tony looks to his right and sees Dum-E with his claw tilted and the camera looking at him. Tony strokes the metal and gently speaks with him. Tears are filling his eyes but he will never let go of them, especially not in front of his children.

“I’m sorry buddy. I’m going to be gone for a long time and I’ll miss you. I may threaten you all the time and say that you’re useless, but you know I love you right?”

The bot gives a happy beep before resting its claw in Tony’s lap. Tony closes his eyes, willing the tears to not escape. He had to remain strong for them and he begins petting his first AI, listening to the content beeps as U and Butterfingers came closer with their sad beeps. He knew that these would be the last moments he ever had with them.

“FRIDAY, in the beginning I may have resented you because you weren’t JARVIS but… I’ve come to love you as well. You know that?”

“Boss, you’re getting all mushy. It’s making me blush.”

Tony laughs fondly.

“Yes. I do love you. You may not be JARVIS but you’re your own person. I expect you to be nice to them, you understand?”

There was a silence.

“Boss… You don’t have to do this. You know that right? They’re happy in Wakanda. You don’t need to bring them back at the cost of your freedom.”

“Fri, I do have to. This country, the world, needs them more than the world needs me. I do everything wrong even when I’m doing something right. I guess it’s time I stop trying and do one last thing that is right.”

“Boss, this is not right. Definitely not right. Those traitors should not be given one last piece of-”

Tony quickly interrupts her.

“FRIDAY, I know what I’m doing. Please respect me enough to follow through with what I am asking of you. I need you here, taking care of everything. You don’t have to like my ex-teammates. I don’t even like them at this moment. I just need you to take care of them. Just keep them healthy.”

“I despise doing this, but to quote Ross, Why do you care so much about them?”

“Because they’re my family, Fri. They’ve been my family since the battle of New York. I know they hate me and that I care about them more than they care about me (especially Steve), but the fact remains that they’re my family and that won’t ever change.”

“You do know who else will be with them right? Are you ready to give him a home?”

Tony tenses but forcefully relaxes.

“I know he killed my mother but he wasn’t himself. He was tortured and brainwashed for 70 years. You know I forgave him a month ago when I helped T’Challa fix his brain problems.”

No one else knew that except T’Challa, FRIDAY, and Tony. Tony wanted to keep it that way.

“I still don’t know why you were so generous to do that but I’m not going to question you now. I didn’t then, I’m not now.”

“Thanks, baby girl. Now. To business. While I’m gone, nobody is allowed access to this workshop. Disable every single code, even the emergency ones, except mine… And Rhodey’s… Yes, do that. The Avengers can have access to every other room except this one. Also, they’re to have no access to my bank accounts. I’ve set a little to the side for Wanda, as I know she doesn’t have much. She can take from that if she needs to. I don’t think she will as I know how she feels about me but it’s a just in case account. All the others have their own money. Only Pepper and Rhodey can use my main accounts if they need to. You decide everything else, okay? Remember. I don’t need you to be nice to them but help them. Will you do that for me?”

There was another long silence. He knew that if she had a body, she’d be grinding her teeth and glaring at him. Tony still thinks she should be a red head. Maybe he’ll build her a body someday.

“Understood. You should go rest boss. It’s been a long day.”

“I will. This lazy guy needs to get up though.” He says fondly, patting Dum-E’s claw.

Dum-E stirs and raises his claw. He gives a happy beep before going to the charging station and going to ‘sleep’. U and Butterfingers both beep at their maker for a pet before going to their own charging stations as well. Tony watches them and wonders if he’ll ever see them again. He hopes Rhodey will visit them once in awhile as he didn’t trust any of the other Avengers. Somewhere in him, he knew that they would never hurt them but he didn’t want to take the chance, especially with Dum-E. Dum-E was made during a time when Tony starved of affection and that trait had passed to him. The bot was much more affectionate than his more advanced brother and sister and he needed someone around.

“Boss, he’ll be fine. He’ll be so happy to see you when you come home.”

The tears that had abated came back and Tony nodded before rushing to his bedroom. God, he’ll miss them and he can’t bear to tell FRIDAY that he may never be coming home. He changes into his pjs and brushes his teeth before going to his bed. As he settles in for a long night of restless sleep, he hears FRIDAY say one last thing that evening.

“I may not know what this means but I love you too, boss.”

He smiles.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Early the next morning, he watches Rhodey with the braces then takes them back to the workshop to improve them one last time. A couple hours later he brings them back and they try it out. They're both happy with the upgrade and when Rhodey had overexerted himself, they sat on the couch. Tony was the one who broke the silence.

“They’re coming back tomorrow, you know that?”

Rhodey was startled

“What? Who?”

Tony gives him a side-glance.

“Honey bear, you know who.”

“Well, I certainly hope it’s not you-know-who. From what I understand, he is quite evil.”

Tony smiled.

“Rhodes, the pardons went through. They’re coming back.”

Rhodey knew that there was no point in arguing with this man. He sighs and sits back.

“I think I’d rather you-know-who.”

Tony turns and looks at him with a pleading glance.

“You’ll help them with the avenging right? Get them to sign the new accords that we worked on? While I’m gone?”

Another sigh.

“I’ll do it for you and the world, Tony. Not for them. Wait. Where are you going?”

Rhodey glances at him and he can see the frustration in Tony’s eyes. He hadn’t wanted Rhodey to know then.

“Tones, I think I’d notice my best friend missing. Again. Where are you going?”

Tony thought up a quick lie.

“I’m going to go on vacation for a few months. Maybe visit Rosehill, Tennessee.”

“Tony… You should stay. I know that you-”

“I can’t live with them. I can’t.

“You know they wouldn’t do anything to you. No matter their personal feelings towards you. They’d ignore you at best. You did the best you could with what they gave you, which, let’s be honest, was practically nothing.”

“Steve wouldn’t. He’s going to tell me how wrong I was and how ‘disappointed’ he was in me.”

Rhodey conceded to that point.

“Probably.”

Another silence.

“Rhodey, I have to do this. You know that? I’ll be back before you know it.”

God. Another lie. Rhodey nodded.

“I know Tones… I don’t have to live with them though, do I?”

Tony smiled again.

“No. Just help them.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After their conversation, Tony went back to the workshop and got out eleven pieces of paper and started on his letters.

The first was for Rhodey where he explained how sorry he was for everything that happened to him. Tony blamed himself. He told him how happy he was to have him as a best friend and that he could never imagine life without him. He reminisced about their MIT days and closes the letter with an, ‘I love you’.

The second was for Pepper and he told her that he’d always love her. He explained that he understood why she broke things off and told her that he agreed. He didn’t want to put her through anything else that would hurt her. He doesn’t tell her that he knew about Happy. He told her he’s sorry and that he hopes she’ll be happy.

The third was for Vision. He told him about his time with JARVIS as well as Edwin Jarvis. He tells him that in the beginning Tony hadn’t liked him because the android took JARVIS from him and that he had resented the android for it. He tells Vision that he doesn’t think that anymore and that he knows it wasn’t the man’s fault. It was Tony’s. He tells Vision that he thinks of the man as one of his grandchildren and that he cares about him. He asks him to take care of his family and Wanda even though Tony knows he doesn’t have to ask. He also tells him that while he may have blamed him for Rhodey’s accident in the beginning, he doesn’t anymore. Hasn’t for a while.

The fourth was for Happy where he asks the man to take care of Pepper and give her the things that Tony couldn’t. He tells him that he doesn’t mind and that Tony loves them both still. He also asks Happy to not tell Pepper that he knew about them.

The fifth letter he decides to write is to Scott Lang. He tells him that he had never met Hank Pym and tells him the abut Howard Stark. He tells him that his family is safe and that he had them moved them while Scott was being hunted and that they are back home, back to their lives.

The sixth is for Sam Wilson. Tony tells him that he blames himself for Rhodey’s accident, not him. Sam had only been protecting himself from being in the same state and that Tony knew he had tried to catch his best friend. He also tells him that Rhodes doesn’t blame him either. He’s too good to blame anybody for his paralysis.

Now, Tony was on the harder letters. He knew that they probably wouldn’t read them but he writes them anyway and has FRIDAY save them, just in case. He starts the seventh with Wanda and gets a little personal to make her understand.

He tells Wanda about his time in Afghanistan and about Obadiah Stane. He tells her that at the time her parents were killed, Obadiah had been dealing under the table to terrorists and to the terrorists that bombed her country. He told her that he was sorry her parents got killed and that he was sorry for her country too. He tells her that the vision she showed him was his biggest fear and that he wanted to stop that from happening and so he created Ultron. He tells her that the vision showed his family dying without him doing anything to help. He tells her why he had her confined to compound. He tells her, in nicer words, that the people wanted her head on a platter and that he was protecting her as well as the citizens from her protecting herself. He also tells her that he’s sorry about her time in the raft and that she never deserved it. He tells her that that is what he had been trying to prevent when he had her confined to the compound. He says he’s sorry that he never explained himself and that he should have. He tells her that he has made up an account for her and that she has lots of options in life. He suggests going to university, maybe getting a job afterwards.

The eighth is for Natasha. This one takes him awhile as he doesn’t know quite what to say. He asks her if she knew about his parents too and if she would have told him. He tells her that he understands why she let Rogers and Barnes go. He tells her that he didn’t do enough and that he didn’t have enough time. He asks why no one had told him about Aunt Peggy’s funeral until it was too late, as Natasha would have known that Peggy had been his godmother. He tells her how much he wanted to say goodbye to her.

Clint’s is the ninth. He tells Clint that he kept his family safe while he was in Wakanda and that Ross never found the house where they lived. He tells him that he’s sorry about what he said in the raft, about unleashing the information about his family. He tells him that he didn’t know about the raft and that Ross had been out of line sending them there.

The tenth is for James Barnes. Tony tells him that he doesn’t blame him for his parent’s death and that he blames Hydra. He tells him that he’s glad James’s mind is back in working order. Tony tells him that even though he doesn’t blame him, he’s still can’t be around James as Tony only he sees him strangling his mother and looking blank while doing it.

The eleventh letter, and the final one, is for Steve Rogers. Tony starts by telling him about his time growing up with an absent father that only cared about finding Rogers. He tells him about Aunt Peggy. He tells him about his mother. Tony tells him that he’s still mad at him for keeping his parents death from him and that he should have told him. He tells him that he has blamed his father for her death since the accident. He tells him that Steve shouldn’t have let him find out any other way. Tony tells him that he wonders if Steve ever had any intention of telling Tony about their deaths. He tells Steve that he doesn’t understand and that if this were turned around, Tony would have told him as soon as he could since they had been friends. Then, he goes to tell him about the benefits of the accords and that he should have done this in beginning. He explains the accords to him in a way that he knows Steve will understand and that he hopes Steve will sign.

When he finishes, Tony’s hand is aching and he sighs. He’s exhausted and he decides to take a quick nap. He asks FRIDAY for the time and found that it was three in the morning. In 13 hours, they would be back.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was two hours before they arrived and Tony was walking around the tower, making sure everything was ready and was in working order for his departure. He checked all their rooms and went back to the workshop. He closed off the workshop and glanced at the bots in the corner. He wouldn’t let himself think about what he was doing because if he did, he would change his mind and that would be no good for anybody especially the world. Tony had to do what he had to. Just because Tony knew what he had to do, doesn’t mean he had to like it. Who actually wants to go to prison? No one. Tony had to do it though. He had to keep the Avengers home and this was the only way to go about it. No matter his personal feelings. Rhodey, Vision, Happy, and Pepper didn’t know what he was doing and he desperately wanted to keep it that way.

Tony turned off the lights and turned around, hearing the doors slide shut behind him. He walked into his bedroom and sat on the bed until he heard something land on his roof. Closing his eyes, he steeled his nerves and walked to the kitchen. He heard shuffling and then the elevator door opening. He stood there and the avengers caught sight of him as they stepped out. They stiffened. A tense silence followed.

“Hey there. Welcome back and all that. Don’t worry, your rooms are exactly the way you all left it. Lang, Wilson, I don’t know what you’re both going to do but I’ve set up a floor for the both of you. You’re welcome to it. Also, you all should know that I’m not going to be living here and that I’m going on a vacation for about 3 months. Maybe longer. Rhodes will be helping you all with avenging.”

“Being a coward are you, Stark?” Clint snarled.

Tony felt his heart falling.

“No Clint. I don’t think you guys want me around and there’s a couple of people here that I can’t be around. That’s why I’m leaving.”

With that said, Tony started to walk out when he felt a hand wrap around his arm. Tony turned around to find Steve looking at him disapprovingly.

“Tony-.”

Tony brought his arm out of the hold it was in.

“No Steve. I can’t do this. You lied to me and you withheld things from me. I can’t be around you now.”

He turned around again and went to his bedroom to get his bag and the letters. He shouldered it and walked back to the kitchen. His ex-teammates weren’t there and he was glad for that. He asked FRDAY where they were and if they had left.

“No boss. They are in the entertainment room. Shall I call the police on them?”

Tony smiled

“No miele. I know that would have been a blast for you but no. Tell them nothing okay? They won’t care anyway. Oh and get Clint and Lang in touch with their families right away okay?”

FRIDAY’s silence told him everything he needed to know.

He propped the letters up against a bowl then he went to the elevator and it took him to the ground floor.

“Goodbye FRIDAY.”

“Goodbye boss. I hope you return soon.”

“I hope so too girlie.”

He went to his car and threw the bag into the back. It was time to meet Ross.

It took him twenty minutes to arrive at the meeting place and Ross was already there. He was looking only too eager to get this done. He stood up straight as soon as Tony pulled up and smirked. There was a helicopter behind them and a few black SUV's. Tony considered running Ross and the others over but decided against it. He already had too much blood on his hands. He took a deep breath before grabbing his back and opening up the door. He threw his keys at some person before walking up to Ross who still had that smirk on his face.

"I'm here."

"Yes. I see that. For a moment, I had hoped I would have to hunt you down. It would have given me great pleasure."

"That's why I didn't, you know?"

Ross sighed in disappointment.

"Yes, unfortunately."

"So, are we ready to go or not? Am I going to be handcuffed? I was hoping to be handcuffed." Tony snarked

Ross looked at his and shook said handcuffs. He nodded at Tony's bag.

"You won't be needing that where you're going."

Tony looked at it and tossed it at the same person with his keys.

"I know. I had to bring it for the show." He explained

"Always a show with you isn't, Stark? At this moment, I'm afraid to tell you that this isn't for a show. Now turn around with your hands behind your back."

Tony did as ordered and felt his decision finalize as the steel wrapped around his wrists. It was too late now.

He was led to the helicopter and was roughly thrown in. He caught himself before he could fall and sat down with Ross beside him. The ride to the raft took an hour and the ride was in silence. He watched as the prison surfaced and felt dread for the first time. They landed on the helipad and he was hauled out of the chopper. They went inside and, first, they went to a conference room where Tony was explained what would happen from now on. He would be in his cell most of the time with one hour of ‘physical activity’ time. He would receive two meals a day. He would also be placed in the highest security area. Tony did not think that was necessary but then everybody knew what he was like in captivity. They needn’t have worried though. Tony wasn’t going to break out. He made a deal and he knew that Ross would not hesitate to put an arrest warrant back on his ex-teammates.

Tony had to change his clothes and then he was led to his cell. He kept his eyes on the ground, submissive. When he was shoved in his cell, he couldn’t keep his balance and fell to the ground. He hit his head on the cot and let out a groan, rubbing the spot. He looked at the doorway and found that it was closed with a smirking Ross on the other side. Ross walked away and Tony could see that he winked at somebody in the cell next to him. Tony tried looking but couldn’t see anybody. He lied down on the uncomfortable cot and tried to sleep. This was for the greater good.

A month later, Tony had a routine. He would be forced awake, ate a terrible breakfast, forced to endure some tests that was basically torture for an hour, then he stumbled the way back to his cell, ate a rather terrible dinner then fell onto his cot which became very comfortable after the first day of his imprisonment. Even without a mirror, he knew that he was pale. He felt shaky and had cuts all over him.

A year had passed and Tony was feeling, and looking, worse. For the first time since the beginning, Ross spoke to Tony during the session.

“Rhodes is looking for you, you know? I think that he’s the only one too. He came to me the other day at my office and asked if you were on a mission for us. I denied it and he looked very concerned. He wasn’t looking too good you know? He took off then and I know that he’ll keep looking. He’ll never find you though, will he? You didn’t leave anybody a clue, did you? I’m impressed, I didn’t think you’d be that committed to your Avengers.”

A flicker of hope passed through Tony as he was lying on the table but died as he realized that, yes, he had left no clue as to his whereabouts for them to find. Before he left the compound, Tony had forbidden FRIDAY on saying anything to anybody. He had even forbidden her from using anything to sell his location out. He finds that he regrets making that decision.

“Yes, Rhodey will keep looking. He’ll never stop until he finds my body.”

Tony didn’t mention that there was only one person who would try.

“You’re still talking. We should fix that one day.”

Tony felt dread for what was to come.

Six months passed and Tony finally met his neighbor. He was passing by when he saw his face. Bruce. His science bro. His heart beat rapidly as he stared. He noticed that Bruce was not looking good and that his eyes were closed. Tony hoped he was just sleeping.

They plopped Tony on the cot and Tony waited until they were gone. He went to the wall separating them then put his hand on it and looked to see if there was anything he could speak through. Thankfully, he saw a small vent.

“Bruce? Bruce, are you alive? Come on buddy. Talk to me.”

He heard a groan and sighed in relief.

“Bruce, you have to get out of here. Use the big guy and get out. You have to.”

“Tony?”

“Yes big guy. It’s me. God, why are you here? You can’t be here. They drugged me and I imagined you. I had too.”

“Unfortunately for us both, we’re both here Tony. I was taken when I went back to Calcutta. I think I’ve been here for about 3 years”

Tony was desperate.

“Bruce, get out of here. Why haven’t you already?”

“They drugged me in triple doses so I wouldn’t change. I can’t Tony.”

Tony leaned his forehead against the wall.

“We’re doomed aren’t we?”

Bruce chuckled

“Looks like it. What are you doing here anyway?”

Tony looks down.

“I did it for the team. I made a deal with Ross to get them pardoned. In exchange for that, I get to be in this fine establishment.”

“Tony, you idiot! Why did you make a deal with him? You know what Ross did!”

“Bruce, I had no other choice! I thought through every possible solution and this was the best one. They’re home and the world is safe for now. That’s all that matters.”

There was a silence.

“Tony… What happened?”

Tony told him everything, even about Siberia. Bruce told him that he would have agreed to sign the accords but only if Ross hadn’t been involved. He knew what Ross was capable of. Bruce would have retired and not been involved with the civil war nonsense. He wouldn’t have taken a side, as both sides weren’t in the wrong.

Another year passed and Tony was on the medical table again. This time he knew something would be different. Ross was speaking with a doctor and there were syringes filled with purple liquid on a tray with sterile tools. There was also a drill.

A couple minutes passed before they placed a gas mask above his mouth and nose and the world went blank.

Tony woke up on his cot and nobody was around him.

“Tony? Tony, are you all right?”

Tony got up and felt dizzy but he walked to the wall and leant against. He went to talk but found he couldn’t get the words out. He tried again and no sound came out. He felt panic fill him as he tried to talk again and again. His breathing sped up and he knew that his heart rate was beyond what was healthy for him. He fell to the ground and blacked out.

Tony woke up and felt the pain in his chest. He pulled himself off the ground and heard Bruce talking about random things in the room beside him. He listened and found that he was talking about his time in Calcutta. Before Natasha has come to get him. Tony tried to talk again but couldn’t. He felt panic coming up and tried to force it back. He tapped his fist against the wall, hoping that Bruce would understand the Morse code. Bruce fell silent.

“Oh god, Tony. What the hell did they do? Oh, I’m going to kill them and I’ll enjoy it. I’m so sorry, Tony.”

A day later, Ross came to his cell.

“How are you doing, Stark? Still have that silver tongue?”

Tony glared at him and went to speak before he could remember that he couldn’t anymore. Ross laughed.

“I told you that I would fix it one day, didn’t I?”

With that parting shot, he left.

A third year passed and Tony was still not talking and he gave up the hope that he was ever going to gain that ability again. He knew that he wasn’t.

A week passed, neither Tony nor Bruce had gotten a torture session and they were both quite curious about what was going on. Another day passed before they received another visit from Ross.

“Thor came back just now. There was a news report about it. Anyway, I just came down to tell you that every guard and security personnel in this prison are leaving tomorrow and you two will not be coming with us. There’s a malfunction in the raft and soon it will flood. You and every other criminal will drown in this raft and I’ll be watching while it happens. Anything to say to that, Mr. Stark?”

Tony scowled at him. Ross smiled.

“Oh right. You can’t. All the Avengers are looking for you two now and they’ll never find you. I’m surprised they never thought of this place… It worked in my favor though. Goodbye Mr. Stark. Banner it was nice to have you where you belonged.”

The door closed behind him and Tony immediately walked up to the wall and began tapping with Bruce tapping back. They couldn’t afford to be heard.

-We have to get out of here.

-I know. How do we do it Tony?

-You’re not going to like this Bruce.

Tony filled Bruce in about his plan and, to his surprise, Bruce agreed with it.

-Tonight then. I haven’t been drugged in a week so the hulk should be able to come out as I can feel him in my brain, just waiting for his time. He wants to hurt everybody that hurt us.

-Before we go, you have to check if there’s anybody else that we need to get out.

They agreed and just waited. Tony fell asleep and woke up to the Hulk roaring beside him and soon the big guy punched through the wall. Alarms began blaring as the hulk grabbed Tony and placed him on his back. He smashed through the glass and began running up floors, smashing through any obstacle. They found Ross at the control center and the hulk quickly threw him against the wall causing him to black out. He punched him again and Tony knew that the secretary was dead. He felt happy at that thought. He stopped the Hulk from doing another punch and gestured for him to put him down. As soon as his feet were on the ground, Tony went over to the camera screens and found that there was nobody was in the other cells. He checked every single one and no one was spotted. He found the armory where he saw guards loading guns but those people had tortured them both. Tony didn’t care about them at this moment. He looked towards the hulk and couldn’t find him anywhere. But soon enough, he heard thundering steps coming towards him and a strange rushing sound. The hulk came through a doorway and he was grinning. The hulk quickly jumped up and tried to open the overhead door to get out. Tony made sure that they were above water before pressing the button to open the door. The hulk let out a triumphant noise before he jumped down and placed Tony on his back again. The hulk jumped onto the edge and they looked at the ocean waves crashing around them. Tony pointed at the control panel to their right and pointed at a blue button. The hulk understood and he pressed the button that caused to door to close. Tony smiled and then nodded at the hulk. He pointed the hulk in the direction of the USA and the hulk grunted at him. Tony quickly took a deep breath as he jumped into the water. Tony held on tight.

It felt like a week had passed when they finally spotted land and Tony was thankful to see the Statue of Liberty in the distance. The hulk swam them to the shore and they were finally out of the cold water. There was nobody around them and Tony recognized the beach that they were on. The hulk placed Tony on the ground before changing to Bruce. After the change finished, Bruce stumbled and Tony quickly caught him. He hugged the guy and grinned at him with Bruce smiling back.

“Tony… The big guy smashed a whole through a wall separating the room from the ocean. He flooded it. I’m okay with it though. How terrible is that?”

Tony went to talk but grimaced when he remembered. Bruce’s smile turned into a sad frown. He patted him on the shoulder.

“We’ll figure it out okay? If not, maybe Clint will be able to teach you sign language?”

Tony snorted at the idea and felt Bruce’s arm wrap around his shoulder, bringing their bodies closer for warmth. Suddenly, a light landed on them and they were both blinded for a moment. They stood there, blinking, before they realized that it was an NYPD officer who looked startled before speaking rapidly into his com.

“Hey, I need an ambulance straight away. I’m at the corner of Dune Rd. and Jessup Lane. I’ve got Bruce Banner and Tony Stark here and they’re not looking good.”

Tony tuned him out as he collapsed in his friend’s arms.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tony woke up in a hospital bed with Bruce right beside him. Bruce was reading an article a science magazine with his hand resting against the side of the bed. Tony moved his hand so that it rested on top of the others. Bruce was startled before giving a wide smile.

“You’re okay. Thank god you’re okay.”

Tony tapped his fingers on Bruce’s arm.

-Right back at you. How long have we been here?

“It’s been a few days. You’re been unconscious since we got here.

Tony tried to speak and grimaced. He’s never going to be used to this.

“They weren’t able to do anything. I’m so sorry, Tony. Whatever Ross did… Well, he did it to last.”

-It’s okay. I’ll learn to live with it. It’ll be cool. Now, nobody will complain about my chatter.

Bruce frowned.

“When I worked in the lab with you, I always found your chatter calming even when you were trying to provoke the big guy.”

-You found that calming? Damn. I was definitely not doing a good enough job annoying you then. And you know that I would have loved a visit from him. He’s a good guy.

Bruce scowled but felt a warming sensation in his chest. He felt satisfaction and fondness from the other guy.

“He’s fond of you too, Tony. I can tell. Even when you’re making him angry, he’d never hurt you. He thinks you’re funny.”

Tony smiled at that and closed his eyes.

-I like him too

Bruce rested his hand on his friends shoulder

“I never said thank you, did I? You’re one of the few who was never afraid of him. Betty wasn’t either but I had pushed her away…”

-You won’t be able to get rid of me that easily, you know. Also, you should reconnect with her. You deserve someone, you know that Bruce?

Bruce looked down and brought his hands in front of him. He stared at Tony’s hand as he tapped out another code.

-I mean it Bruce. You’re not a monster. The hulk isn’t a monster either. He just has anger issues and smashes stuff to work it out… Maybe you should get him some therapy?

Bruce snorted and grinned.

“I don’t know how that would work out. Could you imagine it though? Some poor soul talking to him and he just growls at them in response.”

-You’d have to bring a video camera. I’d love to see it.

They listened to the sounds of breathing and beeps from the machines. They reminded Tony a bit about his bots.

-Does Rhodey know where we are? What about the Avengers? Pepper? When can we go home?

“We haven’t contacted them. I figured that you wouldn’t want them to see you like this so I figured I’d wait a couple days until you woke up before I called them. FRIDAY should know though. The media hasn’t found out yet so we’re home free on that area. The doctors are going to keep us for one more night for observation and then we can go home.”

Tony thought about that

-You’re right. Thank you Bruce. I don’t think I could have done this without either of you.

“Tony, you don’t need to thank me for this. You shouldn’t have even been in the raft in the first place. You didn’t deserve it.”

Tony grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

-Neither did you.

Tony fell asleep then and Bruce turned his hand so he was holding the other man’s.

“Thank you, Tony.” He whispered.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It took two days but both Tony and Bruce were able to go home. They took a cab to the tower and when they arrived, Tony realized that he didn’t have any money. He tapped out a message to Bruce and ran to the doors. Bruce stayed with the angry driver to assure him that they weren’t going to rip him off. He went up to his penthouse with no incidents and searched for his wallet. FRIDAY didn’t say anything as he grabbed four hundred and raced back down. The driver was glaring at him and Tony handed the money to him and Bruce told him to keep the change. The driver stared at the money and gave Tony another glare as he stuffed it into his pockets. He drove off without a word and Tony shook his head.

-No thank you? Rude.

Bruce just looked at him and walked them to the doors of the tower. Everyone was staring at them and Bruce knew that they would be in the news soon.

They arrived at the penthouse and FRIDAY still hadn’t said anything. Tony furrowed his brow, concerned. He went to his tablet and Bruce watched his fingers tap against the screen for a few minutes before there was a crackling in the speakers. Finally, a female voice talked through them.

“Boss? Oh my. I’m so glad to see you. We didn’t know how much longer it would be and we all missed you so much. God, I’m so happy you’re home. It’s been so long.”

Tony looked desperately at Bruce.

“Boss? Why aren’t you talking? What happened? Dr. Banner?” FRIDAY was desperate.

“We’re not sure what happened. One day Tony was tested on and he came back with the inability to talk.”

“… I’m going to kill them. I’m going rip their organs out one by one and tie strings onto their joints and host a puppet show every Saturday night.”

Tony sat there. He didn’t know that she cared about him that much.

“I’m sorry FRIDAY. The big guy killed them and the raft kind of had a flood.”

Despite taking quite a lot of lives, Bruce felt a sense of calm in him. He was finally free of Ross. He may have not liked the method but there were no other options. Bruce doesn’t blame the other guy. There was too much pent up rage towards Ross over the years.

“Damn. Boss, Colonel Rhodes is on his way. He was just on a mission and should be arriving in a minute or so.”

Sure enough, Tony saw Rhodes land on the deck. His heart was hammering in his chest and he felt light headed as he saw his friend take the suit off and start walking to the glass sliding the door. Rhodes locked the door behind him and gave a sigh. Tony thought his best friend looked defeated and slightly depressed. He turned around and froze as he caught sight of them. Tony and Rhodey stared at each and Tony felt ecstatic. He was home.

“Tones? Oh god, I’m hallucinating. It’s been 3 years and I’ve finally gone crazy.”

“Excuse me, Rhodes but you’re not hallucinating. Boss is here and quite alive.” FRIDAY assured.

Tony felt tears fill his eyes as he stared at him.

“Colonel Rhodes, if this was a hallucination, why would you be hallucinating me?” Bruce questioned with a furrow in his brow.

“I wouldn’t. Tones, it is you isn’t it. Where the fuck have you been? It’s been almost four years!”

Despite the fierceness in his tone, Rhodey ran over and swept him into a hard hug. The tears in Tony’s eyes quickly fell as he wrapped his arms around him. He felt warm, safe and content. They were wrapped around each other for a few minutes before Rhodey pulled back and looked at him. Tony’s eyes were red but he was still smiling.

“Tones, where have you been? What about you Bruce?”

“I’m been at the raft for what I’m sure is six years? Three years in, Ross arrested him too and he was put into the cell next to me. The idiot made a deal with Ross. In exchange for his incarceration, Tony asked for pardons for our teammates.”

Tony quickly tapped Bruce a message, glaring at him. Bruce rolled his eyes.

“Forgive me. His EX-teammates.”

Rhodey’s eyes flicked between the two and he frowned.

“Alright. What’s going on here?”

Tony just grimaced at him and Bruce sighed.

“He can’t talk. Ross authorized an experiment on him and he lost his voice. Before you say anything, Ross is dead and so is everybody else.”

Rhodey stared at them before grabbing his best friend and hugs him again. Tony pulls back after a few moments and shrugs.

“I guess I won’t have to worry about your chatter ever again do I?”

Tony looked at him and saw the tears fill in his eyes. He tapped the table.

“Tony says ‘don’t worry. I’ll learn sign language and update FRIDAY so that she will talk for me. I’ll be everywhere then. It’ll be fun.’ He’s going to do it, you know?” Bruce answered.

Rhodey laughed. There was a chime and Rhodey took out his phone. He looked at it and frowned

“Tones, Bruce, you two came at a good time. Thor is back and he has news.”

Tony quickly shook his head and stepped back.

“Tony told me that he’s retiring and that he doesn’t want to be around the others.”

Rhodey looked at Tony.

“I understand but this may be end of the world here Tony. The world may need you there.”

Tony sighs. He taps the table.

“ ‘Okay. You win but I’m not going to be in the room when he explains everything. I’ll come to compound but I’m going to go straight to my workshop. You’ll explain everything to me, right?’”

Rhodey is the one sighing this time.

“Alright. Can we tell the team everything?”

“ ‘If they ask. Honesty is the best policy right? I don’t want to be accused of keeping things to myself again.’”

“Tones…"

Tony quickly shook his head and they all went to the garage and climbed into one of the many cars. The drive to the compound was filled with Rhodey and Bruce talking about everything and nothing.

Once they arrived, they got out the car and Tony saw the telltale scorch mark. He rolled his eyes and followed Rhodey. When they were inside, Tony practically ran to his workshop and, luckily, he didn’t run into anybody. He stepped through the doorway and took a deep breath as he looked around. He felt a welcoming sensation in his gut and felt at home for the first time in a few years.

“It’s good to see you back boss.”

At the word boss, there was a loud beep, and a couple smaller ones, from the far side of the room. Tony heard rolling before he practically bowled over by Dum-E who was frantically beeping as he rubbed his claw against his chest. Tony sat down, tears freely trailing down his face again. He hugged his buddy and wished that he could tell the bots how much he missed them and how glad he was to be home. Butterfingers and U came up to them and rubbed against him too. He doesn’t know how long they stayed like that before there was thump as someone landed beside them.

“Am I interrupting anything?”

Tony raised his head and looked at his guest, without jostling his children. Clint was standing there sheepishly. Tony just looked at him and raised an eyebrow. Clint just stared at them before he spoke with a quiet tone.

“You care about everything, don’t you? You care about your work, about your robots as if they’re your own family, you care about your team- don’t deny it. You’re part of the team, always have been. You also went to the raft for us Tony! If that doesn’t say you care then I don’t know what will-. You even cared about Lang’s family and mine enough to have them moved even when you only met my family once and you never even met Lang’s. Scott told me that Ross's people had gone to their house to threaten them but they weren't there. They broke in but you had already moved them before then. He was confused and thankful. As for your letters, I think Sam, Scott and Barnes were the only ones who read them right after you left.""

Clint paused and took a breath

"It took me a year to read your letter as I just wanted to burn it right away. FRIDAY stopped me. She told me that if i dared to do that, she would print off a million copies and have them dumped into my bedroom until it was completely full. She also said that she wouldn't tell me where my family was if I did it. Laura and I talked through Skype but she never told me where she was as she was furious with me for leaving. After that threat, I just ignored the letter and that caused Laura to be even angrier with me. She couldn't believe that I would do that and then she wouldn't talk to me for a few months. We're rebuilding our marriage now and she is learning how trust me to not leave on a whim again.""

Another breath.

"I understand now what lengths you will go to protect us and those who you consider to be your family. That's what Ultron was about, wasn't it? You went to the raft for us even though we didn't give you a reason to protect us. I never realized how much there is behind all your masks. Natasha can’t believe she missed it either. Tony, I’m sorry for how I acted… I was so angry with you. I thought you were the one throwing us in that place and I felt betrayed. I read the amended accords and, though it took me awhile to get over my anger, I did sign them.”

Tony stared at him. He wanted to say so many things and he began tapping. Clint looked crestfallen at his silence. He didn’t understand the tapping then.

“I’m so sorry Tony. What did they do to you in there? Before I saw you, I thought for sure Rhodes and Bruce were lying about this. I just couldn’t imagine Tony Stark not being able to talk.”

Clint straightened and looked determined

“I’ll teach you sign language. We’ll begin today and right now. That will a start. To help us both heal and to be teammates again. ”

Tony shook his head but he couldn’t move as he didn’t have the heart to disturb the bots on him. Clint pulled up a stool and sat across from him, which startled Butterfingers and U into moving away but Dum-E stubbornly stayed. Tony looked fondly at him and began petting his arm again. Tony looked up at Clint and nodded. Tony needed to learn how to trust his teammates again and they need to do the same.

 

AN: Holy smokes; I thought this was going to be MUCH shorter. I know that there are a few inconsistencies and I’m sorry about that. I don’t even know where the raft is. I tried looking it up but there is too many locations to choose from so I just picked the one near New York… I know that there were probably lots of villains on the raft but I’m pretending that they’re all somewhere else now even though the raft is a super max prison... Oh well. You should probably just imagine that I did the hulk flooding the raft right. Despite all that, I hope you all liked it! Kudos and reviews are the best! Until the next chapter (which I am redoing)...

 


	2. Part Two

 

AN: Here’s the rewrite. The only stuff that I really changed is the ending. I think that I like it more…

By the time Rhodey and Bruce arrived at the lab, Clint was teaching Tony greetings. He was impressed that Tony was learning so fast and he told him so. Tony scoffed and pointed at himself. Clint just laughed and shook his head. He forgot that he was talking to Tony Stark. 

“Tony, are you okay?” Rhodey asked with a look at Clint

Tony smiled and nodded. He signed Hello to them and he looked at Clint, raising his eyebrow. Clint rolled his eyes.

“Yes Tony. That was perfectly done, as always. Don’t let it go to your head. Since you two are here, I better go. Tony, practice and we’ll continue tomorrow. Again, I’m sorry.”

He gave Tony a tentative smile and watched as Tony did the same. He watched Tony sign goodbye and then spell out a word.

“B-I-R-D-B-R-A-I-N.”

Clint laughed fondly and headed to the door. He turned back.

“I’m going to regret teaching you, aren’t I?”

Tony smiled at the ceiling and gestured at the two to sit down. He shrugged at them when they stared at him.

“ _Probably wondering why I’m forgiving Clint for his words.  Don’t bring attention to it Tony.”_

He got Bruce’s attention before tapping on the table. 

-What’s going on?

“Thor discovered that a mad titan named Thanos is coming to earth, looking for what’s called infinity stones. He’s powerful and power hungry and is set on destroying the universe as a courting gift to Death. Thor says if he collects all six stones, he will be unstoppable and that we need to prepare earth. He also said that he knows where four of them are. Vision has the mind stone, Asgard has the tesseract and the aether, and Xandar has the orb. He said that one of two remaining is on earth and he thinks Thanos may have the other. Tony, I don’t think this is a fight that you can run from. We need everybody on this.” Bruce speculated.

Tony sighed and nodded. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to sit this one out. He also knew that he wouldn’t have been able to retire because he will always want to save the world. He signed out a word.

“S-H-I-T." 

Bruce agreed wholeheartedly.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next person to come see him is Thor. He quickly swept Tony into a breathtaking hug but quickly let go.

“MAN OF IRON! Are doing well? I have heard what happened and I am most sorry for your ailment.”

Tony nodded and gave him a tentative smile. Thor gently squeezed his shoulder before beaming at him.

“I am glad that you are well. I have read the accords document and agreed with them wholly. I have signed them and I am sorry that I wasn’t here to help you convince our brothers-in-arms and that you and the others were in the prison called the raft.”

Tony thought of way to communicate with the blonde before grabbing a piece of paper and writing on it. Why didn't he think of this before? 

_It’s okay Thor. You’re a prince and live in an entirely different realm. You weren’t here and you were dealing with a problem in your own home. You don’t have to justify, or apologize, for anything. You were doing your duty._

Thors’ eyes scanned the paper before he looked at Tony with a sad expression.

“I have spoke a healer in Asgard and they won’t be able to help you with your speech. However, I’ve heard that son of Barton is teaching you what’s called Sign language’ where you wave your hands around into different shapes and speak with them?”

Tony laughed and nodded.

“I am glad then that you’ll be able to speak another way. I find that I miss you talking though. You always had something interesting to say and had almost a quicker wit than Loki.”

Thor looked sad at the mention of his brother.

_And how is Reindeer Games?_

Thor frowned at him. 

“I do not understand what you are saying. Do reindeer play games?”

Tony quickly wrote down a reply.

_No, it’s a nickname that I called Loki when he was here in New York. How is he?_

_“_ I do not find that amusing but I am glad that you asked. You are the only one so far. Loki has perished during our fight with the dark elves. He fought valiantly and I am sorry to see him gone. He was my brother despite lineage and I never wanted to see him gone despite all that he has done… I hope that he is happy wherever he is.”

Tony felt bad for the guy.

_I’m sorry, Thor. I think that if he hadn’t tried to take over earth, he and I would have been great friends._

Thor brightened.

“Yes you two are quite similar. I find that while I was here, you reminded of him in some ways. Your sense of humor and your wit. I will always be sorry that I wasn’t there for him properly and that he felt he was covered in my shadow… I should leave you, man of iron. I know that our fellow comrades would like to speak to you as well. I’m glad that you are well and that you have returned. Goodbye for now.”

Tony nodded at him and noticed that Thors’ eyes were a bit brighter when he left.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The third person to come see him was Natasha.

They sat in silence where they just stared at each other. Tony was surprised when she was the first to look away. She sighs and looks back at him.

“I’m not sorry that I helped them escape. I knew that Steve wouldn’t stop and I was tired. I just wanted the fighting to stop. We are a family, we shouldn’t come to blows over a little disagreement.”

Tony snorted. Natasha smiled.

“I guess it was a bigger disagreement than that… I didn’t think that it would come to fighting though. You didn’t either, did you? We prepared for it but we never thought it would happen. I thought that we could get Steve and the others to listen and to see that the accords wouldn’t be a bad thing but we didn’t have the time and Steve just wouldn’t listen to us. We couldn’t tell them that we had a plan in motion to amend the document and that we had evidence against Ross to incarcerate him…”

Tony wished he could interrupt her.

“We should have tied him up to a chair and forced him to listen to us. It would have saved a lot of hassle. For everyone. I guess we were too focused on other things. God I wish that he had told us about the other super soldiers when he found out. We could have helped them and we would have worked things out…”

Natasha looked down and she was unguarded. He grabbed a new piece of paper.

_Nat, we can’t change the past as it happened this way for a reason… He didn’t trust that we would help them with the accords implemented. How stupid. I’m the king of breaking the rules._  

Natasha snorted and grabbed his hand. She looked into his eyes.

“Tony… I knew about your parents too." 

Tony grimaced and looked down. Natasha continued but there was a tremor in her voice.

“We found out when we discovered that Hydra infiltrated SHIELD. I am sorry that I didn’t tell you but, for some reason, I thought Steve would. I don’t know why but I am sorry…”

It took a moment for Tony to find the words that wouldn’t be scalding.

_It’s not okay, Natasha. I can’t just forgive and forget that you guys never told me something that important. Did you ever think that I should know? I know that it’s been over thirty years but I never got over their deaths. Did you see my MIT presentation? I was 17 years old when they died and I never fully processed it. I don’t know when, or if, I’ll be able to move past it and I’m sorry for that._

Natasha swallowed and nodded. She stood up and looked at him determinedly.

“I will show you that I am sorry and I will spend the rest of my life making this up to you. I will never keep something like this from you ever again.”

He could tell that she was about to walk out but Tony grabbed her hand and squeezed. He used his free hand to write.

_I know you will and I know that I’ll forgive you eventually._  

He let go of her hand and watched as she smiled at him. As soon as she walked out, he went back to work

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day, Tony was making some lunch and was planning to watch a movie. He had five hours until he was meeting up with Clint and he wanted to spend the time unwisely. He put a DVD in the player then plopped down in the middle of the couch. He put his feet up on the coffee table and began to eat his sandwich.

About twenty minutes into Star Wars IV, Sam, Scott and Wanda came to join him. He stared at them as Sam sat down on the armchair to his right, Scott right beside him on his left with a bowl filled with orange slices and Wanda on his right. He sat stiffly and watched them suspiciously. They just watched the screen though and Scott was eating his orange. Tony waited a couple of minutes before slowly relaxing. He went back to his sandwich and placed the plate on the table when he finished. He was relaxing back into the cushions when Scott offered him the bowl questioningly and Tony stared at him again before tentatively taking a slice. They did smell delicious. He nodded at him in thanks before turning back. When the movie was over, Scott got up and picked up his bowl as well as Tony’s plate. Sam just smiled at Tony and said one sentence.

“If you ever need someone to rant to, I’m here." 

Then it was just Wanda and Tony. She silently handed him an envelope before walking out the door. He held it for a bit before he quickly opened it.

 

_Tony,_

_When I saw the shell with your name on it land beside Pietro and I, I thought that I would die. When we lived, it was easier to blame you than it was to blame the people in my country. I couldn’t believe that they would do that to their own. In the back of my mind, I knew that I couldn’t actually be angry with you but I directed my anger towards you and it was stupid. I should have directed it towards the people who actually used the bomb and not the creator. I guess that I thought it was plausible hating you because you made their deaths by bomb possible. I don’t know why I thought that way but I did. If the actual murderers didn’t have the bombs, they would have found another way to commit the murders. Or they would have found a different maker. It made sense when I was younger…_

_I don’t blame you for Petro’s death. The fault was my mine. I was the one to show you that vision and I knew what you would do. I didn’t know that my mistake would kill my brother._

_I do wish that we had spoken properly, before all this happened. It may have been different. I do understand why you tried to keep me at the compound. Before I just thought that you thought that I would go on a murdering rampage. I said to Vision that couldn’t control other peoples fear, only my own but I could have helped them to see that I was using my powers to protect them and not against them… I had never thought of that and I should have._

_I’m sorry I tried to trample you with cars. That was wrong when you weren’t even using your full force._

_I hope that we can be proper teammates one day._

_Wanda_

 

Tony stared at the letter before going to his workshop to write a reply.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It took a few days before Steve came to him, but Tony was ready. He had thought that Steve would have been the first one to come to him. Tony just raised an eyebrow at him and Steve frowned.

“Aren’t you going to say anything?" 

Tony glowered at him and gave him the middle finger. Steve flinched.

“I’m sorry, I forgot.”

Tony waited a few minutes but Steve still didn’t say anything. Tony threw his hands in the air before writing something down.

_What do you want Rogers?_

“I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry for everything. I can’t be sorry for going against the accords, as it was not something I believed in but I do know that I should have listened to what you and Natasha had to say. It’s in the past now and I’m sorry. I know that I’m stubborn and that I’m always ready to fight. I practically initiated this one and I’m the one that tore apart the Avengers… ”

_Okay. I’m going to stop your little pity party right there. Rogers, it takes two to tango and communication works both ways. By not talking to each other, we both tore our team apart. It’s both our faults. We both should have talked to each other and you should have trusted us to help you. I would have gone against the accords in a snap at that time to help you. Natasha would have too. In the past, we have proven ourselves. Back then, the accords were full of crap and Natasha and I were going to amend the crap out of it. That document is going to protect the people that we are supposed to be protecting during a fight. It happened and there’s no way to change it. Unfortunately, even given a second chance, we would probably do the exact same._

“Probably… but I am sorry Tony; for not trusting you all. Especially you.”

Tony waited but when Steve wasn’t forthcoming, he wrote his question down.

_Anything else that your sorry for?_  

“There’s too many to count. I’m sorry for not giving you a chance to talk, for not trusting you, for fighting against you. So many other things Tony.”

Tony felt ice in his heart. Tony knew that it would take a long time before he could forgive Steve. The bastard.

_You really don’t care do you? That you never told me about my parents’ murder?_

Steve blanched. He hadn’t even thought of it. Tony stood up and started pacing with Steve watching him.

“I… Do you want me to be honest?" 

Tony sent a look that could have scalded him. 

“I’d like to think that I would have but I don’t think I had any intentions in telling you. When we were talking to Zola in that bunker and he mentioned their murders, I didn’t think of you at first. I just kept thinking that my best friend killed my other friend. I know that I had many chances to tell you about them but I thought I was protecting you by not telling you. I didn’t want to dredge up past hurts. I think I was mostly protecting Bucky though and not you. If I wasn’t then I wouldn’t have let you find that out any other way.”

He watched as Tony sat back down and lean his arm on the table as he wrote.

_I’ve already told you what I thought and it hasn’t changed. Steve, I can’t trust you not to keep things from me. God how the tables have turned. During Ultron, you told me to stop keeping things from you and I did. Why did that not apply to you as well? If you had told me, I never would have attacked Barnes nor would I have attacked you. I might have punched him but that's neither here nor there. Zemo never would have torn us further apart and we would have still been friends. Were we ever friends? You would have told me if we were. Anyway, I don’t know if we can get back what we had before, I don’t even know if I’m willing to try. For now, I’m your teammate during this fight and that’s it. We’re not friends so no acting buddy buddy. Now get out._

Steve nodded and stepped back towards the door.

“I will make this up to you somehow Tony. I… No. No more excuses. I will do anything I can to earn your trust and your friendship back.”

Steve turned towards the door and Tony watched him. Before the door closed behind him, Tony banged on the table to get his attention. Steve turned back, startled.

“Are you okay?”

Tony nodded. He quickly something down before he walked to the place where he hid the shield with the claw marks still on it. He stared at it and felt fear. He pushed passed his fear and picked it up. Walking towards the super soldier, Tony held it out for the other man. Steve stilled for a minute before softly taking it from him.

“Thank you Tony.” He whispered.

Tony handed him the slip of paper.

" _You'll need this for the fight. Don't think that this mean I've forgiven you. I'm giving this back because you need it."_

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The week ended with Tony upgrading one of his cars and listening to ACDC. He was now fluent in sign language, he was proud that it had only taken him a full week. His friendship with Clint was now back to where it was before the ‘Civil War’ and Tony was more than happy about it. He had also upgraded FRIDAY so that she could understand him and speak for him if he needed her to. He knew that most of his teammates were secretly learning sign language, (Bruce, Clint, Barnes and Natasha already know the language) and he was quite pleased with that. When he had been told that by Rhodey, he had smiled all day. It was another step up.

“Boss, Barnes is at the door. Can he come in?”

_“Is he alone?”_

“Yes boss, Captain Rogers is not with him.”

Tony knew that FRIDAY did not care for Steve at all and she knew that Tony was still furious with him. Until her boss wasn’t, FRIDAY would act cold with him. Tony was amused and secretly pleased with her.

Tony nodded and watched the sergeant come through the doorway. He felt some anger, and a bit of fear, towards the other man and Tony knew that it would take a little while longer for him to get over it completely. He had watched the other bash his father's head in and strangle his mother while looking emotionless after all, even if he knew it was actually hydra. He watched as James took a deep breath and started signing. While Tony watched, his eyes were drawn to the prosthetic. He watched it and shuddered as all the problems showed themselves. He went back to reading the others' hands but his eyes kept being drawn to that monstrosity.

_“First, I wanted to say that I’m sorry for your parents and I don’t expect you to forgive me anytime soon. Steve keeps telling me that it’s not my fault but I can’t help but feel that it was. I know that I wasn’t in my right mind. My mind went against me but it was still my body that killed them, and a hundred others. All the people that the Winter Soldier killed are on my hands and I won’t be able to ever forget that.”_

Tony didn’t move. He suspected Barnes was not finished.

_“I can’t believe I’m asking this of you but… After I came out of cryo, King T'Challa built this temporary arm for me until he could build a proper one. He never got the chance though as he was busy running Wakanda. I could live with it but it keeps lagging and twitching. I was wondering if you could fix it?”_

Tony raised his hands before pausing. He decided to offer an olive branch.

_“I’ll do you something better. I’ll build an arm for you just so that eyesore won’t be in anybody’s eyesight any longer. I can’t believe T’Challa let you walk around with that thing. He should be ashamed. Follow me. I need to get you measured.”_

Tentatively, Tony led James to his workbench. Somehow, he knew that T’Challa had this planned. No respectful engineer would allow anybody to wear this monstrosity without having some sort of plan in motion. He would have to video chat the other later.

As he started measuring, Tony smiled. He knew that this team would come back together and that they will be better for it. The ‘war’ made them stronger and soon it would be much more difficult to break them apart.

 

End.

 

AN:  Well, here it is. I’m sorry that I butchered Thor’s character and any others. I tried but I couldn’t get them out properly. I am so fed up with articles about this movie; with them saying that people blindly followed Tony. Vision followed Tony because of his own beliefs; Tony had no influence on him as well as Rhodey. Rhodey, same thing.They both thought that the accords would be a good idea. Natasha… She followed him for her own reasons. In the end, she just didn’t want to fight her family and knew that Steve wouldn’t stop until he got to Siberia. She agreed with Tony about the accords because she didn’t want anything worse to happen. She knew politics. With Spiderman, if he hadn’t wanted to be involved he so wouldn’t have been. He could have easily overpowered Tony. All of team ironman made their own f-ing decisions. And that f-ing’ letter! I read it on Internet and don’t even get me started on it. There is way too much wrong with it… Anyways, please review! Kudos are great too. : )

 


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